Article Analysis: "Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale" by Elizabeth Ammons
Claim: According to Elizabeth Ammons in “Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale”, Edith Wharton uses a fractured fairy tale story in Ethan Frome to teach readers that society, and social interaction in particular, force women to become “witches” (Ammons). Wharton's tale, like all fairy tales, reveals a universal truth about life and addresses elemental human fears. It is fractured because, rather than the prince charming and maiden princess living happily ever after, the maiden princess becomes an evil witch, as the story says all women do.
Support: Ammons supports her claim of Ethan Frome as a fractured fairy tale by highlighting the numerous parallels between the novella and traditional fairy tales. Ammons points out how the story is told as an orally passed on legend in a community, it “belongs to a community of people and has many variants” just like a fairy tale (Ammons). Furthermore, Ammon’s points out Wharton’s fondness for fairy-tale numbers, such as 7, explaining how the story teaches a “natural order” of the world, just like all fairy tales (Ammons). She also highlights Wharton's use of witch, maiden, and prince archetypes. Zeena is the jealous stepmother, a “perfect witch of nursery lore”, Mattie Silver is the maiden princess, proven by the emphasis on her “physical appearance,” and Ethan Frome is the prince charming (Ammons). Ammons supports her claim about the womens’ transformations to witch by connecting their environment to the situation of many young women in the early 20th century: trapped in their monotonous housework. Pointing out that both Wharton's women and 20th century women “went nowhere” and “did nothing but repeat identical tasks in unvaried monotony,” Ammons says the transformation that Mattie, Zeena, and Ethan’s mother undergo in the novella make complete sense. She also says Wharton’s tale addresses the elemental fears and suffering of men too. Wharton uses the tale to show how the insanity which society brings upon women oppress men. Ammons claims that Ethan is a “prisoner” to the responsibility he has to care for his witches (Ammons). Ethan, like many men in the 20th century, had “too much work” to “follow his aspirations” due to the madness which monotony forced the women of his life into. Ammons supports this belief stating that the “Endurance” (Wharton) written on the Frome gravestone represents how both the women and Ethan must “endure” their “monotonous domestic lives” (Ammons).
Counter-claims: Ammons addresses that some critics do not agree that Ethan Frome is a fractured fairy tale revealing the truth of life and addressing human fears. Critics such as Lionel Trilling claim the novella “presents no moral issue at all” (Ammons). She addresses this counterclaim by listing the symbolism and allusions which Wharton added from her original draft in order to publish the story, such as Ethan’s name which allude to Hawthorne’s “Ethan Brand” tale “of a man as alienated from woman” (Ammons). Wharton would not have added allusions and symbolism had the story merely been for entertainment. Ammons explains how critics who “forget” (Ammons) about the oppression which early 20th century women had to endure could easily make the mistake of finding no moral to Ethan Frome. She also proves that Wharton included a moral relevant to her time by pointing out how a criticism published just two years after the story (while women were still oppressed) does identify “the painfulness of Wharton’s story” (Ammons). The social criticism found in Ethan Frome was clear to critics from the storyś time period, with the monotonous environment of womanhood still all around them.
Personal Response: I believe this criticism is spot on with the moral of Ethan Frome. Ammons covers much of what we learned in class explained why Wharton included many elements of the story from an interesting historical and gender lense. The historical lense logically explained why Wharton believed that all women were destined to become witches: in her time, they were. I also like how the gender lense not only interprets from the feminist perspective, but how the criticism also addresses the suffering of men in oppressive environments- an element I believe to be very strong in Ethan Frome. I also agree with the empathetic element of the criticism as it claims that the characters’ suffering is not the fault of any one particular person, but the failure of society and our social system. Ammons claims the social structure of a barren, remote town in New England is to blame for the characters’ hardships, not their choices. She says the isolation forced Zeena and Mattie to become witches, and that Ethan’s suffering was unavoidable, even if he wasn’t somewhat morally pathetic. I too believe that every character in the story deserves sympathy for their suffering- not blame.
Article Analysis: "Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale" by Elizabeth Ammons
Claim: According to Elizabeth Ammons in “Ethan Frome as Fairy Tale”, Edith Wharton uses a fractured fairy tale story in Ethan Frome to teach readers that society, and social interaction in particular, force women to become “witches” (Ammons). Wharton's tale, like all fairy tales, reveals a universal truth about life and addresses elemental human fears. It is fractured because, rather than the prince charming and maiden princess living happily ever after, the maiden princess becomes an evil witch, as the story says all women do.
Support: Ammons supports her claim of Ethan Frome as a fractured fairy tale by highlighting the numerous parallels between the novella and traditional fairy tales. Ammons points out how the story is told as an orally passed on legend in a community, it “belongs to a community of people and has many variants” just like a fairy tale (Ammons). Furthermore, Ammon’s points out Wharton’s fondness for fairy-tale numbers, such as 7, explaining how the story teaches a “natural order” of the world, just like all fairy tales (Ammons). She also highlights Wharton's use of witch, maiden, and prince archetypes. Zeena is the jealous stepmother, a “perfect witch of nursery lore”, Mattie Silver is the maiden princess, proven by the emphasis on her “physical appearance,” and Ethan Frome is the prince charming (Ammons). Ammons supports her claim about the womens’ transformations to witch by connecting their environment to the situation of many young women in the early 20th century: trapped in their monotonous housework. Pointing out that both Wharton's women and 20th century women “went nowhere” and “did nothing but repeat identical tasks in unvaried monotony,” Ammons says the transformation that Mattie, Zeena, and Ethan’s mother undergo in the novella make complete sense. She also says Wharton’s tale addresses the elemental fears and suffering of men too. Wharton uses the tale to show how the insanity which society brings upon women oppress men. Ammons claims that Ethan is a “prisoner” to the responsibility he has to care for his witches (Ammons). Ethan, like many men in the 20th century, had “too much work” to “follow his aspirations” due to the madness which monotony forced the women of his life into. Ammons supports this belief stating that the “Endurance” (Wharton) written on the Frome gravestone represents how both the women and Ethan must “endure” their “monotonous domestic lives” (Ammons).
Counter-claims: Ammons addresses that some critics do not agree that Ethan Frome is a fractured fairy tale revealing the truth of life and addressing human fears. Critics such as Lionel Trilling claim the novella “presents no moral issue at all” (Ammons). She addresses this counterclaim by listing the symbolism and allusions which Wharton added from her original draft in order to publish the story, such as Ethan’s name which allude to Hawthorne’s “Ethan Brand” tale “of a man as alienated from woman” (Ammons). Wharton would not have added allusions and symbolism had the story merely been for entertainment. Ammons explains how critics who “forget” (Ammons) about the oppression which early 20th century women had to endure could easily make the mistake of finding no moral to Ethan Frome. She also proves that Wharton included a moral relevant to her time by pointing out how a criticism published just two years after the story (while women were still oppressed) does identify “the painfulness of Wharton’s story” (Ammons). The social criticism found in Ethan Frome was clear to critics from the storyś time period, with the monotonous environment of womanhood still all around them.
Personal Response: I believe this criticism is spot on with the moral of Ethan Frome. Ammons covers much of what we learned in class explained why Wharton included many elements of the story from an interesting historical and gender lense. The historical lense logically explained why Wharton believed that all women were destined to become witches: in her time, they were. I also like how the gender lense not only interprets from the feminist perspective, but how the criticism also addresses the suffering of men in oppressive environments- an element I believe to be very strong in Ethan Frome. I also agree with the empathetic element of the criticism as it claims that the characters’ suffering is not the fault of any one particular person, but the failure of society and our social system. Ammons claims the social structure of a barren, remote town in New England is to blame for the characters’ hardships, not their choices. She says the isolation forced Zeena and Mattie to become witches, and that Ethan’s suffering was unavoidable, even if he wasn’t somewhat morally pathetic. I too believe that every character in the story deserves sympathy for their suffering- not blame.